Apparatus for producing re-closable bag packages

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for producing re-closable bag packages has a device for delivering and securing a portion of a closure strip on a film web. To make greater output as well as continuous operation of the apparatus possible, it is proposed that the device be equipped with a horizontally movable securing device, which tacks the portions to a moving film web.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a 35 USC 371 application of PCT/DE 00/00313 filed on Feb. 2,1999.

PRIOR ART

The invention relates to an apparatus for producing re-closable bagpackages of the kind that have become known for instance from EuropeanPatent Disclosure EP 0 410 126 A1. In this known apparatus, whichoperates intermittently, during the stopped phase of the film feeding, aclosure strip portion is tacked to the flat top side of the film web.Next, a tube is shaped from the flat film web. In the forming of thetransverse seams of the bag packages formed from the tube, the closurestrip portion is at the same time sealed over its full surface to theinside of the tube. Because during the stopped phase of film feeding theclosure strip portion must be delivered and attached, the output of theknown apparatus is limited, since the cycling time depends on the timerequired to attach the closure strip portion. Furthermore, with theknown apparatus a continuous mode of operation is not possible.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus according to the invention for producing re-closable bagpackages has the advantage of making especially high output possible.

Further advantages and advantageous refinements of the apparatusaccording to the invention for producing re-closable bag packages willbecome apparent from the dependent claims and the description.

A further increase in output of the apparatus is possible if theapparatus is operated continuously.

A synchronous motion of the transverse seam sealing device and of thedevice for attaching and securing the closure strip can be achieved ifthe two devices are coupled to one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing andexplained in further detail in the ensuing description. Shown are:

FIG. 1, a re-closable bag, in a front view;

FIG. 2, a section taken along the line II—II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, an apparatus for producing re-closable bag packages in aschematic side view; and

FIG. 4, a device for delivering and securing a closure strip portion toa flat film web, in a perspective view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The bag package 1, known per se, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has an uppertransverse seam 2, a lower transverse seam 3, and a longitudinal seam 4extending centrally in a side face. A portion 5 of a re-closable strip 6is disposed somewhat below the upper transverse seam 2. The strip 6 hastwo parts 7, 8, cooperating with one another by positive engagement; onepart 7 is bonded by sealing in two regions 11, 12 to one inside 13, andthe other part 8 is bonded by sealing with a region 14 to the opposedinside 15 of the bag package 1. To enable easy opening of the bagpackage 1 at its upper transverse seam 2, the upper transverse seam 2 ispreferably embodied as a so-called peeling seam. An alternative to thiswould, however, also be to embody a weakening region between the uppertransverse seam 2 and the strip 6, so that the corresponding upperportion of the bag package 1 can easily be torn open or torn off.

The production of this kind of bag package 1 is done on a verticalbag-making machine 17, schematically shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, thatoperates continuously. The bag-making machine 17, for forming the bagpackages 1 from a web 18 of packaging material has a forming shoulder19, which is connected in the usual way with a forming tube 20. Belowthe forming shoulder 19 on the forming tube 20, there is a longitudinalseam sealing device 21 for forming the longitudinal seam 4. Also locatedbelow the forming tube 20 is a transverse seam jaw housing 22, which canmove up and down and has two transverse seam sealing jaws 23, 24 thatcan be moved toward one another. The transverse seam sealing jaws 23, 24are used to form the transverse seams 2, 3, and at the same time theregions 11, 14 of the strip 6 are sealed over their full surface againstthe inside 13, 15 of the bag packages 1.

For delivering the web 18 of packaging material from a supply roll, notshown, not only the feed belts 25, which are in direct contact with theforming tube 20, but also continuously driven feed rollers 26, 27 anddeflection rollers 28 are used. In addition, a horizontally movabledelivery roller 29 is provided in the inlet region to the formingshoulder 19; it enables an adaptation in terms of format to variouslengths of bag packages 1. For delivering and securing the strip 6 orthe portions 5 on the web 18 of packaging material, the bag-makingmachine 17 has a special device 30.

The device 30, disposed in the region of a horizontal delivery path ofthe web 18 of packaging material, has a stationary pair of rollers 32,33 that are driven by a stepping motor 31. The pair of rolling rollers32, 33, disposed laterally and above the web 18 of packaging material,pulls off one corresponding portion 5 of the strip 6 from a supply roll35 at a time, intermittently, in accordance with the width of the bags1. The strip 6 drawn from the pair of rolling rollers 32, 33 is carriedand oriented by a guide cassette 36 immediately above the web 18 ofpackaging material; the longitudinal direction of the strip 6 extendsperpendicular to the web 18 of packaging material and to its feedingdirection 37.

The guide cassette 36 comprises two elements 38, 39, between which acutting device 40 is disposed for cutting off the portion 5 from thestrip 6. The portion 5 is placed above the web 18 of packaging materialin such a way that one region 41 of the web of packaging material, witha width of somewhat more than L/2 (depending on the shape of the bag),remains on each side of the portion 5. It is also essential that theelement 39 is embodied such that the region 12 of the part 7 of theelement 39 laterally protrudes on the side toward the forming shoulder19.

On the side of the guide cassette 36 toward the forming shoulder 19,there is a securing device 43 for the portion 5. The securing device 43,which can be moved horizontally back and forth, has a sledlikeconstruction, with one sealing jaw 44, 45, which can be moved up anddown, each disposed below and above the web 18 of packaging material. Inthe horizontal terminal position toward the guide cassette 36, the twosealing jaws 44, 45 are made to coincide with the region 12 of theportion 5. The other horizontal terminal position is assumed uponconclusion of the sealing of the region 12 on the web 18 of packagingmaterial.

To effect a synchronous horizontal motion of the two sealing jaws 44, 45with the continuous feeding motion of the web 18 of packaging material,the securing device 43 is coupled to the transverse seam jaw housing 22.The coupling is done for instance by means of a toothed belt 46, whichis guided over a deflection roller 47. The effect of the toothed belt 46is that the sealing jaws 44, 45, upon a downward motion of thetransverse seam sealing jaws 23, 24, which takes place at the feedingspeed of the tube formed from the web 18 of packaging material, arebrought at the same speed and synchronously from the terminal positionoriented toward the guide cassette 36 to their other terminal position.Since the toothed belt 46 transmits only traction forces, the end of thesecuring device 43 opposite the toothed belt 46 is connected to atension spring 48, which is capable of returning the securing device 43,and thus also the sealing jaws 44, 45, to the terminal positionassociated with the guide cassette 36.

The bag-making machine 17 described above functions as follows: The web18 of packaging material, drawn off continuously from the feed rollers26, 27, passes over the deflection rollers 28 and the delivery roller 29to reach the forming shoulder 19. The forming shoulder 19 places the twoperipheral regions 41 of the web of packaging material against oneanother, forming a tube; the regions 41 of the web of packaging materialoverlap in the region of the longitudinal seam 4. The overlapping regionis sealed along the further feed path of the web 18 of packagingmaterial to form the longitudinal seam 4. Below the forming tube 20, thetransverse seam sealing jaws 23, 24 are moved toward one another whenthe transverse seam jaw housing 22 moves downward. Then the transverseseam jaw housing 22 is moved at the feeding speed of the tube, into itslower terminal position, and the formation of an upper transverse seam 2for a first bag package 1, a lower transverse seam 3 for a second bagpackage 1, and the sealing of the regions 11, 14 of the portion 5 to theinsides 13, 15 take place. During the downward-oriented motion of thetransverse seam jaw housing, the product for filling the package issimultaneously dispensed, in a manner known per se through a fillingtube, not shown, into the bag package 1, which is not yet closed at thetop. As soon as the two transverse seams 3, 4 have been sealed, a filledbag package 1 is cut from the tube by a cutting device, also not shown.Next, the transverse seam sealing jaws 23, 24 are opened again, and thetransverse seam jaw housing 22 is returned to its upper terminalposition.

The application of the portions 5 of the strip 6 to the web 18 ofpackaging material is done in two steps: During the aforementionedup-and-down motion of the transverse seam jaw housing 22, one portion 5of length L at a time is inserted by the stepping motor 31 into theelement 39 of the guide cassette 36 and is severed from the strip 6 bythe cutting device 40. What is essential is that the portion 5 issevered from the strip 6 when the securing device 43 is in its terminalposition oriented toward the guide cassette 36. The two sealing jaws 44,45 are now moved against the film web 18, causing the region 7 of theportion 5 to enter into direct contact with the sealing jaw 44 and thetop side of the film web 18. This occurs immediately at the instant whenthe transverse seam jaw housing 22 has passed its upper turning point.In the ensuing downward motion of the transverse seam jaw housing 22,the securing device 43 is moved by the toothed belt 46 in the feedingdirection 36, and the sealing jaws 44, 45, moved against one another,pulled the portion 5 out of the element 39 of the guide cassette 36.During this motion of the securing device 43, the region 7 of theportion 5 is sealed, under the influence of pressure and heat, to thetop side of the web of packaging material. The sealing operation isterminated before reaching the lower returning point of the transverseseam jaw housing 22, whereupon the two sealing jaws 44, 45 arere-opened. In the ensuing upward motion of the transverse seam jawhousing 22, the securing device 43 is returned by the tension spring 48to the terminal position oriented toward the guide cassette 36,whereupon the processes are repeated as described above.

The foregoing relates to a preferred exemplary embodiments of theinvention, it being understood that other variants and embodimentsthereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, thelatter being defined by the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus (17) for producing re-closable bag packages(1), having a device (30) for delivering and securing a portion (5) of aclosure strip (6) on a film web (18), in which the delivery direction ofthe closure strip (6) and the feeding direction (37) of the film web(18) extend perpendicular to one another, having a forming device (19)for forming a tube from the film web (18) in such a way that the regions(41) of the film web disposed on both sides of the closure strip (6) areplaced against one another, forming a longitudinal seam (4), and havinga transverse seam sealing device (22) for forming a bottom transverseseam (3) and a top transverse seam (2) above the closure strip (6),wherein the device (30) for delivering and securing the closure strip(6) has a securing device (43) for securing the closure strip (6) to thefilm web (18), which securing device is moveable parallel to the feedingdirection (37) of the film web while the apparatus is in operation (18).2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a film feeding device (26, 27) isprovided, which feeds the film web (18) continuously.
 3. The apparatusof claim 2, wherein the transverse seam sealing device (22) is movableback and forth in the feeding direction of the tube formed from the filmweb (18), and that a connection (46) between the transverse seam sealingdevice (22) and the securing device (43) is provided, which transmitsthe motion of the transverse seam sealing device (22) to the securingdevice (43).
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a horizontally movabledelivery roller (29) for adaptation to various lengths of bag package isprovided between the securing device (43) and the transverse seamsealing device (22).
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatusis a vertical bag-making machine (17).
 6. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the apparatus is a vertical bag-making machine (17).
 7. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein spring means (48) are provided, whichcooperate with the connection (46) and returns the securing device (43)to an original position after the connection (46) has moved the securingdevice (43) in its motion parallel to the direction of the web travel.8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a horizontally movable deliveryroller (29) for adaptation to various lengths of bag package is providedbetween the securing device (43) and the transverse seam sealing device(22).
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is a verticalbag-making machine (17).
 10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein ahorizontally movable delivery roller (29) for adaptation to variouslengths of bag package is provided between the securing device (43) andthe transverse seam sealing device (22).
 11. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the apparatus is a vertical bag-making machine (17).
 12. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein a horizontally movable delivery roller(29) for adaptation to various lengths of bag package is providedbetween the securing device (43) and the transverse seam sealing device(22).
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a verticalbag-making machine (17).
 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein theapparatus is a vertical bag-making machine (17).
 15. An apparatus (17)for producing re-closable bag packages (1), having a device (30) fordelivering and securing a portion (5) of a closure strip (6) on a filmweb (18), in which the delivery direction of the closure strip (6) andthe feeding direction (37) of the film web (18) extend perpendicular toone another, having a forming device (19) for forming a tube from thefilm web (18) in such a way that the regions (41) of the film webdisposed on both sides of the closure strip (6) are placed against oneanother, forming a longitudinal seam (4), and having a transverse seamsealing device (22) for forming a bottom transverse seam (3) and a toptransverse seam (2) above the closure strip (6), wherein the device (30)for delivering and securing the closure strip (6) has a securing device(43) for securing the closure strip (6) to the film web (18), whichsecuring device is moveable parallel to the feeding direction (37) ofthe film web while the apparatus is in operation (18), and wherein thetransverse seam sealing device (22) is movable back and forth in thefeeding direction of the tube formed from the film web (18), and that aconnection (46) between the transverse seam sealing device (22) and thesecuring device (43) is provided, which transmits the motion of thetransverse seam sealing device (22) to the securing device (43).
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15, wherein spring means (48) are provided, whichcooperate with the connection (46) and returns the securing device (43)to an original position after the connection (46) has moved the securingdevice (43) in its motion parallel to the direction of the web travel.17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a horizontally movable deliveryroller (29) for adaptation to various lengths of bag package is providedbetween the securing device (43) and the transverse seam sealing device(22).
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is a verticalbag-making machine (17).
 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein ahorizontally movable delivery roller (29) for adaptation to variouslengths of bag package is provided between the securing device (43) andthe transverse seam sealing device (22).
 20. The apparatus of claim 15,wherein the apparatus is a vertical bag-making machine (17).